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Phoenix Welcomes Lilia Hryhorovych by Irena Schubyn On Thursday, June 2, 2005, the Phoenix branch of the UNWLA hosted a social evening with Lilia Hryhorovych, Verkhovna Rada Deputy and President of Soyuz Ukrainok of Ukraine. The event was held at the Arcadia Cafe in the Phoenix Art Museum and was open to the entire Ukrainian community. The program, chaired and coordinated by Oksana Biskup, opened with a social hour with ap petizers, dessert, and cocktails. Guests also had a wonderful opportunity to partake in a guided tour of the museum. When the guest of honor arrived, she was welcomed by Nataliya Biskup with a traditional bread and salt greeting. At the podium, Deputy Hryhorovych spoke candidly about the current economic, political, and cultural climates of Ukraine. Ms. Hryhorovych commented on changes in Ukraine since the country became independent. Although these changes have not been rapid enough for some, she expressed her belief that Ukraine made greater strides in its first months of independence than her neighbors did in theirs. She commented, however, that nation build ing is a work-in-progress and that rooting out com munist tendencies will take some time. Ms. Hryhorovych also stressed that in the brief period that President Viktor Yushchenko has been in power, many changes have taken place. As an example, she recalled an incident that occurred during a visit to the office of Ukraine's previous president, Leonid Kuchma, on official business. The meeting was conducted in Russian. This, she stated, was no longer the case in Ukraine. She said that she is very proud of Ukraine's current president, his principles, and his loyalty to his nation. Deputy Hryhorovych then spoke about one of the greatest challenges facing Ukraine's new gov ernment: the lack of well-paying jobs and low sala ries that make it difficult for people to support their families. This problem has other side effects. Tal ents and ideas are not being cultivated in Ukraine; in fact, they are being lost to other countries. To earn money outside Ukraine, parents are leaving their children for months at a time. Many children are being reared by grandparents or by a single parent instead of enjoying the benefits of a traditional two- parent home. Another tragedy stemming for this lack of economic opportunity is the sexual exploitation of young Ukrainian woman. Because they cannot find work in Ukraine, they respond to offers that promise "waitress" or "nanny" positions abroad. They soon find themselves trapped in a foreign country with no money and are subject to the whims of their em ployers. Ms. Hryhorovych also commented on prob lems created by the previous government, citing problems faced by miners who were not paid be cause the money earmarked for this purpose was hoarded by government officials. During a question and answer period, Dep uty Hryhorovych spoke about so-called news re leases on the Internet, which sometime present inac curate information about Ukraine and its president. She stated that those forces responsible for poison ing President Yushchenko are continuing their ef forts to sow instability, discord, and suspicion. She echoed a plea made by President Yushchenko dur ing his recent state visit to the United States, asking that Ukrainians in the diaspora visit Ukraine, vaca tion in Ukraine, and donate their time and talent to Ukraine. She praised the strong organizational skills that diaspora Ukrainians have developed by found ing and maintaining youth, cultural, political, and financial institutions. Ms. Hryhorovych noted that such organizational know-how is what a newly emancipated country really needs. We were privileged to host such a distin guished and informative speaker. As a token of our appreciation, we presented Ms. Hryhorovych with a gift that would remind her of her brief stay in Ari zona: Native American jewelry and a book on Ari zona's landscapes and attractions. Her insights and experiences broadened our understanding of Ukraine's recent past, current struggles, and future challenges as it takes its first truly autonomous steps. 14 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЖОВТЕНЬ 2005 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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